Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (z-lib.org).mobi

CHAPTER 16
Baghra’s relief was unmistakable, but she wasted no time. “You can slip out
with the performers tonight. Head west. When you get to Os Kervo, find the
Verloren. It’s a Kerch trader. Your passage has been paid.”
My fingers froze on the buttons of my kefta. “You want me to go to West
Ravka? To cross the Fold alone?”
“I want you to disappear, girl. You’re strong enough to travel the Fold on your
own now. It should be easy work. Why do you think I’ve spent so much time
training you?”
Another thing I hadn’t bothered to question. The Darkling had told Baghra to
leave me be. I’d thought he was defending me, but maybe he’d just wanted to
keep me weak.
I shrugged off the kefta and pulled a rough wool tunic over my head. “You
knew what he intended all along. Why tell me now?” I asked her. “Why
tonight?”
“We’ve run out of time. I never truly believed he’d find Morozova’s herd.
They’re elusive creatures, part of the oldest science, the making at the heart of
the world. But I underestimated his men.”
No, I thought as I yanked on leather breeches and boots. You underestimated
Mal. Mal, who could hunt and track like no other. Mal who could make rabbits
out of rocks. Mal who would find the stag and deliver me, deliver us all into the
Darkling’s power without ever knowing it.
Baghra passed me a thick brown travelling coat lined in fur, a heavy fur hat,
and a broad belt. As I looped it around my waist, I found a money bag attached
to it, along with my knife and a pouch that held my leather gloves, the mirrors